How to Submit
Preparing the Abstract
To submit your abstract, you will need the following information readily available:
- Title and body of your abstract
- Pictures, graphs, and/or tables associated with your abstract
- Name, affiliation, and conflict of interest information for all authors
- Presentation preference
- Linking group information, if applicable
- Support/grant information
The submission process is very detailed and requires the entry of specific information (including email addresses of co-authors and conflict of interest information). The primary cause of error in abstract submission occurs when the user is unfamiliar with the submission site and rushes to submit work at the last minute. Enter the submission site and begin submissions well in advance of the May 3 deadline to ensure your abstract is submitted correctly.
Abstract Length
The body of the abstract should be no more than 2,300 characters, including punctuation but not spaces. Use this range as a frame of reference, then count characters and revise accordingly.
Use standard abbreviations. When using abbreviations for chemical compounds, spell it out in full for the first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Do not abbreviate compounds in the abstract title.
Deadlines and Payment
Submit and finalize your abstract by Friday, May 3, at noon EDT, including payment of the nonrefundable $135 submission fee. Payment of the nonrefundable $135 abstract submission fee is only accepted by credit card. Abstracts submitted and finalized by Friday, May 3, noon EDT may be "unlocked" for editing through Monday, May 6 at 5 p.m. EDT. After this date, the abstract is locked and no further changes can be made. Fees paid for SfN membership and the abstract handling fee are nonrefundable.
Submission Form
If you are planning to create a linking group, the selected presentation preference and theme and topic must be the same for all members of your group. Any deviation may result in members of your group being sessioned separately. No more than two members of a nanosymposium linking group can be from the same lab.
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Title
Titles are limited to 1,200 characters, including spaces. The title of the abstract should incorporate all words critical for the subject of the abstract. Write your title in sentence case (first word is capitalized; remaining words are lower case). Do not bold or italicize your full title.
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Keywords
Keywords help users of the Neuroscience Meeting Planner and the annual meeting mobile app to find abstracts. Select up to three words from the list provided. Submitters may also opt to create their own keywords.
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Presentation Preference
Authors may select from four presentation formats when submitting an abstract:
- Nanosymposium preferred, indicating preference for a nanosymposium session but will accept poster format.
- Poster only, indicating author will accept ONLY a poster session.
- Dynamic poster preferred, indicating preference for a dynamic poster but will accept paper poster format.
- No preference, indicating authors' willingness to be placed in the best format for the program.
Abstracts will be assigned to only one presentation format.
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Linking Groups
To propose that your abstract be grouped with others in the same poster session or nanosymposium, create or join a linking group. The Program Committee will consider abstract grouping requests during the session building process, however, requests are not guaranteed. Group size is limited to 14 nanosymposium-preferred abstracts or 20 poster-only abstracts.
To create a linking group, one submitter must request a linking group name and share the name with each submitter that wishes to be a part of the group. Each submitter must join the linking group within their individual abstract submission via the Linking Group step.
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Theme and Topic
Selection of a theme, subtheme, and topic for the abstract allows submitters to "self-identify" the area of neuroscience in which the abstract fits. This identification is the first step in sorting abstracts for the Program Committee, who will take this identification into consideration and place related abstracts with similar topics into the same session. Selection of a primary theme and topic is required. Selection of a secondary theme and topic is optional, but often helpful to the program committee.
If you have joined a linking group, your first-choice theme and topic selection must be the same for all linking group members. Any variance will result in expulsion from the group.
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Nanosymposium Information
Those who initiate a nanosymposium proposal by selecting "Nanosymposium Preferred" as their presentation preference and creating a linking group must suggest a nanosymposium chair, indicate their preferred order of presentation, and provide a brief explanation about the merit of their proposed session. Only the creator of the linking group is responsible for providing this information. Those who are joining an existing nanosymposium linking group can assume that the group's creator has completed this information and should skip this step. Those who are not a part of a linking group may use this step to detail why their results are important and what type of larger theme would be appropriate for the abstract.
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Authors
List all authors who contributed to the work discussed in the abstract. The presenting author will receive correspondence regarding the abstract. Be prepared to submit contact information as well as conflict of interest information for each author listed.
Submitters will also be asked to identify their abstract's senior author(s). The senior author(s) represent the principal investigator(s) of the lab where the work described in the abstract was completed. Senior author(s) should be listed towards the end of the author block.
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Abstract
Enter the body of the abstract and attach any applicable graphic files or tables here. Do not re-enter the title, author, support, or other information that is collected in other steps of the submission form. The abstract body is limited to 2,300 characters, not including spaces. Including a table reduces the character count by 350 characters. Including a graphic reduces the character counter by 500 characters.
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Support
Enter the source(s) of research support. Grant numbers may be listed here.
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Special Requests
- Request that your abstract be presented as a dynamic poster
- Designate the submitting author as a senior author
- Designate the presenting author as a high school or undergraduate student
- Indicate religious conflicts
- Specify scheduling conflicts
Confirmation of Session Information and Audiovisual Requests
Only the presenting author will receive notifications, via email, of the abstract's status. This information is sent in two emails:
- The first notification in late-June will include the assigned presentation format, session title, and session date/time for accepted abstracts. This preliminary information is provided prior to the opening of meeting registration.
- A second email sent in mid-July will include the specific presentation time within the overall session and a request for the author to submit audiovisual equipment specifications when applicable.
If no email address is supplied or if an incorrect email address is listed, information will not reach the presenting author. Contact SfN staff at program@sfn.org to change contact information.
To ensure that you receive all SfN correspondence, add sqlautonotice@coetruman.com, program@sfn.org, SfN_Program@abstractsonline.com, and sfn@support.ctimeetingtech.com to your email "safe senders" list.
